Memorabilia lets collectors develop close relationship with movies they love

Brad Nettles
The Post and Courier

Julia Santen checks out some of the many movie posters she has in her King Street shop.

Bogie in the media room, Garbo in the boudoir. "Ben-Hur's" chariots rumbling through the workshop. Marilyn oozing glamour in the study. And Brando scowling in the bath. For a classic film buff, nothing tops movie posters for lending color, vibrancy and a certain panache to a home or office.

If they're originals, so much the better. Sure, you can buy and thoroughly enjoy a simple reproduction at considerably less cost, but owning the original edition poster or lobby card can make you feel an even closer affinity to a movie you love. You own a piece of history.

Care to make a bid on the German poster for Fritz Lang's landmark silent "Metropolis"? Considered by many to be the Holy Grail of science-fiction posters, it sold for $690,000 in 2005, a world-record price for a vintage poster of any kind, movie or otherwise.

No? Then focus on what fascinates you.

"Most importantly, buy what you like, not what you think you should buy," says Julia Santen, who specializes in vintage posters and fine art at the Julia Santen Gallery downtown. "Also, be careful of condition and originality. Buy from a dealer you trust."

Like befriending your butcher or fishmonger — friends do not let friends buy junk — developing a relationship with a reputable dealer can be beneficial to a collector.

Trusting your seller, storefront or online, is paramount, says Santen.

"The biggest trust issue with posters is condition. The poster should be in the condition the seller says; there shouldn't be any surprises. Computer monitors can make colors look a little different than they are in reality, but a seller should allow a buyer to examine the piece and return it in a set period of time if there is a discrepancy."

This is not to say the Internet cannot be a useful tool, even if one does not buy through it. On the question of how professional dealers and skilled amateurs ascertain the provenance (proof of authenticity) of a poster, Santen says making the determination is akin to a treasure hunt.

"The Internet can be very helpful in finding information on artists, old products and brands that no longer exist. Having a strong library of poster books is essential for the really obscure items," she says. "I am constantly looking for poster books. There are some wonderful books on individual artists, styles (art deco, art nouveau, Swiss object) and movements, such as Austrian secession, that help me dig deeper than what the Internet can provide."

If your preference is for posters of American films, remember that there are often foreign-language versions of them, many of radically different design, which may be more desirable or appealing.

"The graphics are consistently better in the European posters," Santen says. "Up until the late '70s, all countries had completely different poster designs for the same film. This is because different distribution companies were in charge in each country, and they had to cater to the different psyches. This is one of the most interesting aspects of what I deal in. I find the Polish to be especially talented; they offer a different interpretation of the films and were given free reign to express themselves."

Over the years, poster evolution has been driven by studio-marketing strategies.

"The major change in poster design happened in the late '80s. Prior to this date, movie posters were the primary source of marketing for films. A lot of thought and imagination would go into the design. After this date, with the rise of the Internet and other media, such as DVDs, poster art became less important as the main marketing tool and, as a consequence, less and less attention was given to the product. The rise in digital imaging and photography also has changed the way posters are created, and designers often have to work within contractual constraints."

Buying a poster from a storefront operation, where the proprietor's expertise is a known quantity, can have advantages over a catalog or Internet purchase.

"Buying from a storefront allows the customer to develop a rapport with the owner and staff," says Santen. "This relationship leads to better purchases for the customer, for the owner is now looking out especially for what the client is looking for and can call the client directly when something special arrives in the gallery. It's that attention to customer service that is lost by Web site purchases."

Santen demurs from making a definitive assessment of the big retail movie poster Web sites, such as www.icollectmovieposters.com (which offers "19,882 items in 55 categories"), as she has not dealt with them directly. But she suspects it's a mixed bag.

"They seem more like a cattle market to me, with so much inventory, the good in with the bad, some in questionable condition. It's not the way I personally would want to make a purchase, unless I was wanting something really new, as in a movie from the last five years."

One of the largest and most established purveyors of vintage posters via auction is Heritage Auction Galleries (http://movieposters.ha.com), a Texas-based outfit dealing in rare collectibles.

Although there are notable exceptions — the upper reaches of fine art, say, or exceptionally rare antiques — a truism of the field holds that the only reason to acquire collectibles is that doing so brings you pleasure or enriches your life, not because you think it will accrue in value.

The iron-clad rule of all collecting is this: No matter the "book" or appraised value, an item is only worth what someone, a dealer or individual, is willing to pay for it at any given time.

When you know this going in, the whole process becomes something that engages your passions, not simply acquisition for its own sake.